Dingle not expecting to have Mark O'Connor available for All-Ireland semi-final

Dingle face Ballyboden St Enda's in the All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final on January 3/4 after victory over St Finbarr's in the Munster final

Geelong being amid their pre-season when Dingle face Ballyboden means the Kerry side's manager expects them to be without Mark O'Connor. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Dingle boss Pádraig Ó Corcoráin doesn’t expect Mark O’Connor to be available for their All-Ireland semi-final against Ballyboden St Enda’s on the first weekend of January.

Since arriving home during the AFL off-season, the Geelong-contracted footballer has lined out for Dingle in the Kerry semi-final, final, Munster semi-final, and final.

Permission was sought, and granted by O'Connor's AFL club, on a week-by-week, game-by-game basis. Ó Corcoráin can’t foresee permission again being given for an All-Ireland semi-final scheduled four weeks from now, not when Geelong will be in the midst of pre-season preparations and O’Connor would lose a week of training by having to fly over and back from Australia for the Ballyboden game.

“I wouldn't think so, to be honest,” was the manager's reply when asked about the midfielder lining out in red and white for a fifth occasion on January 3/4.

“It is extremely difficult on Mark because he is contracted to play with Geelong and they are all back for pre-season, and I am not so sure how that would work out in terms of getting him back to Ireland.

“If it was a shorter trip and he was able to get home for a day or two, but it is a longer trip and you are probably missing out on a week's training over there.” 

Dingle passed the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday during their overnight spin to Thurles. Memories came flooding back of their 2023 Munster final penalty shootout defeat. There has been plenty more hurt in the meantime. The manager praised his troops for refusing hurt in Thurles.

“They lost the Munster final in '23, the Kerry club final in '24, and also the county final last year where we didn't perform. We asked a lot of hard questions last winter. The players were very honest, the management were very honest about it.

“We rejigged a few things and I just think that bit of mental toughness and resilience has shone through over the county championship and into Munster.

Few very quick (and cold) thoughts from the Munster final

Why didn’t Tom O’Sullivan mark Sherlock? 🤔(Feat Mark O’Connor)
Two-point frees 🟧
Kickout press 3️⃣@ExaminerSport pic.twitter.com/4ZhYKP6tPj

— Maurice Brosnan (@m_brosnan) December 7, 2025

“Their heart and spirit that they showed in the second half because St Finbarr's went up by seven twice and at times it didn't look too good. But I think in fairness to Gavin [Curran] in goals and the backs, they started working a few short kickouts.

“We got our hands on the ball, and we were a bit better in possession. We didn't turn over the ball and we just got a couple of scores that brought us into the game, and thankfully we finished strong.” 

The finish was all Conor Geaney. His first free of the Munster final became the kick of a lifetime.

“That was the biggest free I ever kicked or ever will kick,” said the match-winning corner-forward.

“There was a small bit of nerves. I just wanted to get a good strike on it. I kept the head down. I didn’t really look straight away. I knew if I got a good strike on it, it had a good chance of going over.

“There is a bit of a breeze there. The easiest way was to throw it up and let the wind do the work. It was just getting it on target. There was never any issue with the distance.

“We’re absolutely over the moon. It’s the best day in the club’s history. We had the best day about four weeks ago and now we have the best day ever.” 

Their orange flag hero also referenced the Gaelic Grounds and the galling nature of a 2023 Munster final defeat where they never once trailed Castlehaven until the shootout.

“Two years ago was the worst day for the club. It was the worst feeling I ever had on the pitch. We might have felt a bit hard done by two years ago. We’re just absolutely delighted to sneak it.”